In the End
by RedRoseAngel1
Summary: It's the end of the world, and the two vampires contemplate. 3-16-03: edited some grammar errors.
1. Angel's POV

The end of the world came as a surprise.

So what brought the world to its knees and the end of mankind? Acathla? Group of demons? The Scourge?

Mankind brought itself to its end.

One of America's enemies had dropped nuclear bombs in several of the large cities. New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago were all hit. What no one hadn't counted on was the radiation spreading so quickly. The wind carried the poisonous gas and wiped out the entire Northern Hemisphere within a week. The Southern Hemisphere had a few weeks before the winds traveled south of the Equator. No one could escape it; death was inevitable.

Except for those who don't breathe.

I, Angel the former Scourge to Europe, witnessed the end of the world and survived. As have the rest of the vampires of the world.

Some vampires consider this a blessing. They now have the freedom to do whatever they want, with no Slayer to stop them. They are the fools. What they don't realize is that we are also doomed. There is no way for us to get a regular blood supply, except off each other. We will eventually kill each other off, until the world is completely void of any life form.

It's the scariest thing in the world, being one of the last people alive. My friends are dead. My enemies are dead. My purpose on Earth is pointless.

It's sad, really. Buffy averted apocalypse after apocalypse, stopping the demons from killing humans. In the end, it was the humans, those she worked so hard to save, that destroyed us all. The concept is beyond my understanding.

I walked through Los Angeles last night, for no particular reason. Waded through the radiated airs that killed everyone. The city is so dead, nothing like it used to be. There were no demons feeding off the innocent, no innocents gambling with their lives. Life is a beautiful thing, and look at how it ended.

Maybe I could find solace in another dimension, another time. Pylea, perhaps. Even those dimensions with evil reigning had to be better than this.

I remember when I first found out. I walked downstairs, expecting to find Wesley, Cordelia, Gunn, and Fred waiting for me. We had a case to work on; a pack of Tyean demons had kidnapped a girl to complete a ritual. I wonder if they were trying to end the world? But when I went downstairs, no one was there. I called each of their houses and there was no answer. I turned the TV on to see the news and there was nothing on the TV. I tried the radio, and there was nothing. I ran to the window, ignoring the sunlight burning my flesh, and I saw the dead bodies. So many dead bodies. Too many.

I waited until later that night to go out, and there I met the last survivors. Vampires of course. They were searching for some uncontaminated blood, and they told me what they heard. It was then I realized it was only a matter of time until we were all dead. Just because vampires are immortal doesn't mean that we live forever. Eventually there would be no blood, we would starve to death, and become nothing more than a skeleton, much like the humans.

Most vampires have given up; they saw the sunlight for the first and last time since they died. I don't know why I haven't. There's no one here to stop me. There's nothing here in the world for me. I've gotten so thin lately, from the lack of blood. I think the silence is the worst of all. Before the end, I loved silence, it gave me time to think. Now, I would give anything to hear Cordelia chattering about a party, Wesley talking about a demon of a sort, Gunn telling about his gang, and Fred going on about physics. That's all gone now, and I long to hear the voice of somebody, anybody.

I stand here, at the beach, watching the ocean crash to the shore, the moonlight reflecting in the water. It's a beautiful scene and yet one of the saddest that there is.

"Hello mate," a familiar English voice comes from behind me.

"How'd you find me?" I reply, not even recognizing the sound of my own voice. It's been so long since I've said something, had anyone to say it too.

"You're the only sign of life there is," Spike replies and stands next to me as the ocean comes crashing in. "Nice scenery," he comments.

"It is." I pause. "Beautiful- it makes me wonder if any of us deserve a world like this- look at what is has become. In the battle of good and evil, no one ever stopped to appreciate life."

"Deep thoughts," Spike hesitates, "I loved her. She didn't love me, but we- slept together." Even though Buffy is long dead, Spike still feels like he was betraying his grand-sire. It didn't matter to him back then; but now, when he is the only one left in the world Spike could talk to- it matters.

I don't even flinch. The part of me that would've killed Spike for touching the love of my life has died along with the rest of humanity. "It was quick for her. Too bad it couldn't be like that for us."

Spike nods, "Do you think this is a punishment? For those of us who are undead?"

I stare out to the seemingly endless ocean, now void and empty of life. "Does it matter?"

The blond vampire sighs, "I guess not." He stands still a bit, still deep in thought. "I miss her- them. Even Xander."

"I miss them too."

"I wish we could see them again."

"Maybe someday- somewhere."

Spike laughs hollowly. "At least you have that. You were some warrior for 'them'. What was I? Just some neutered puppy who fell in love. You strove for redemption- I sought solace in Buffy. I waited for the day my chip would come out, so I could paint the world red. Now I wish I had done things differently."

"Everyone wishes that when faced with death. Maybe the future isn't as bleak as you imagine it to be."

Spike gesticulates wildly. "Look around Angel- this is the future! Look at what people died to protect, and look at what has become of it! When Buffy died to close the portal- do you think she died to protect a world that would come to this!"

I close my eyes, not wanting to see the world around me anymore. "Stop it. No one knew it would come to this- not you, not me, not Buffy."

Spike starts laughing, the pain of the last few months overtaking his senses. "Look at us- the two of us. The Scourge of Europe and the Big Bad themselves, standing around, mourning the end of the world! Mourning our human friends who are dead! Who would've thought!" Tears start to fall from his eyes, and I am unsure of whether they were from his laughter, or his grief.

"Things never go as expected," I reply dryly.

"Aye, they don't." Spike shakes his head and stares once more into the ocean. "As you are the only one left to make amends with, I may as well do so." He takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry for torturing you, for sleeping with Buffy, and for any other wrong doings I have done."

"You are forgiven. I'm sorry for the way I treated you when I was evil, for leaving, and any other wrong doings that I have done."

"You are forgiven." We both stare at the ocean, not looking at each other, yet both grateful to have the forgiveness of at least one person. At least some amends were made.

"So this is the world without hope." Spike remarks. "It'd be easier if I was drunk. Even though there's absolutely nothing, I can't help but fight the urge to run back inside, to save myself."

"I know. There's only a few minutes though. And there's nothing to save yourself for. There's no way we can earn redemption. All we're doing is filling up space here, space that has gotten surprisingly larger."

"Still it's hard." Spike chews his bottom lip. "I'm glad you called. At least a small part of me will know some peace."

"That's good." The sun begins to rise along the horizon. "It's about to end."

"Good luck Angel."

"Good luck Spike."

And then the last bit of humanity crumbled to dust.


	2. Spike's POV

"I have a direct ticket to Hell"  
Spike, In the End

After the world ended, I had nothing. Nothing left but memories to  
torture me for an eternity. Memories of Buffy, of her friends, of my  
undead life. After they were gone, I had nothing to keep me here,  
on Earth, alive. But I stayed alive anyway, waiting, for a glimmer of  
hope. A sign of life somewhere, or even a sign of unlife.

All the vampires in Sunnydale were gone. Thanks to me. They were  
celebrating the end, and I took them all out, without a second thought.  
I did it for Buffy.

After I rid Sunnydale of the vampires, I made a grave for all of them.  
Buffy, Willow, Xander, Anya, Dawn, Tara. I stole the coffins, the man  
was dead anyway, and provided them with a burial they deserved. With  
only me as their witness. I was the last witness to all the good each

and every one of them had done.

Then I had nothing left to do. All night I would get drunk off of  
stolen liquor, and somehow make it back to my crypt in the morning.  
I don't know why I still stay there, I have my choice of all the houses  
in the world to live in. But I remain in my crypt. I even tried  
writing poetry, but there is absolutely nothing to write about. Do  
you know how hard it is to write something about nothing? That's what  
the world is, nothing.

I tried to find Drusilla for a while, without success. I gave up, and  
assumed she was another one of the vampires that killed herself after  
the world ended, when she realized there was nothing left. Or maybe  
she died before this happened; I'm not really sure.

I was running out of things to do. I remember I once told the Slayer  
that I liked this world, and I was going to help her save it. Take  
a look around, and look at what I saved.

So I went to Buffy's house- I hadn't been there since I first retrieved  
her and Dawn's bodies for burial. Insanely, I decided to pack up their  
clothes, as if they were moving away. Perhaps I thought I could mail  
it up to heaven, I don't know, but I started packing their clothes.

Then the scariest thing in the world happened.

The phone rang.

No human life left on earth, and the phone rang. Hesitantly, I move  
to the telephone, the ringing hurting my ears. I pick it up, and   
answer, "Hello?" I didn't even recognize the sound of my voice, it's  
been so long since I've used it.

"Spike?" The caller sounded surprised, as if he didn't expect anyone  
to answer.

"Angel? Why are you calling here?" I ask, relieved that it was Angel  
and not- some unknown monster or something.

"It's something I do- why are you there?"

"Packing up the clothes," I reply, thoroughly amazed at our conversation.  
I don't know how long it's been since I've talked to someone- I had lost  
track of time. 

"Oh." We remain silent, but neither one of us dares to hang up.  
We would never destroy our first and possibly last chance of contact  
with somebody.

Finally, I break the silence. The two of us have been living in  
silence for so long, and this was my first chance to talk to somebody.  
I've been so lonely, and even if I've never gotten along with the poof,  
somebody is better than nobody. "How long have you been calling  
Buffy?" Her name sounds foreign to my ears as I envision her in my  
mind. She's smiling, and the mere vision is enough to make me smile  
as well.

"Everyday since everyone died." His voice breaks, and I can tell that  
he's suffering. We both are- we're the two left that mourn the loss  
of people. Not for their blood, but for the mere sake of them being  
around. Again, the two of us fall into a familiar silence, and I  
wonder what he's done with his life. Nobody left to save, what was  
his purpose here? Did he have one? Did I? Was this some part of the  
Power's master plan- kill everybody, and leave the two of us to clean  
up the mess? I may have never liked Angel, but I now felt a connection  
with him. A connection past the vampire lore, it was a humanity   
connection.

"Why are we still here?" I ask softly, reminded of the time, before  
Drusilla, Darla, and Angelus, when I asked my mother why my uncle  
died. I was so confused, unsure, and scared of death, after all, I  
was only six. But she didn't have the right answer, because there  
wasn't one. Sometimes, people die. Sometimes, the world ends. Sometimes,

you're the last man left standing.

"I don't know," Angel replied, and how could he? He was just only a  
warrior, like Buffy was, putting his arse on the line for the Powers,  
and getting shit in return. "Spike, I don't want to wake up anymore."  
He sounded so broken, so sad with those words. Words that I myself  
have been thinking, but not daring to act upon them. "There's nothing.  
Nothing at all. No shanshu, no redemption, no friends, no enemies,  
nothing. Nothing but time, and there's all too much of that. I can't keep

waking up, day after day, knowing what I'll have to face."

"I know mate," I replied. And I did. I knew all too well. We were  
very different vampires forced into the same situation.

Angel took a deep breath, that I could hear from the phone lines that  
strangely still work. "Tomorrow morning, I'm going to watch the sun  
rise," he announced his executive decision. Maybe talking to me gave

him the courage to finally do what he's been wanting to do for so long.

I know I felt the same way about talking with him. I knew I had no

choice but to go along with it. Well, I did have a choice. I could always

return to my life, packing away clothes, providing burials, but really, what  
was the point?

"I'm coming too." He didn't argue, and I didn't expect him to. "I'll  
meet you in L.A." Rather than hanging up the phone, I just set it  
down, for some perverse reason. Maybe I just want the last conversation  
on the Summers' line to be between me and Angel, the two vampires in  
Buffy's life.

I look around the house that I'll never see again. I look at the  
picture of Joyce, Buffy, and Dawn, and my unbeating heart aches for  
them. I wish I could see them in the afterlife, but they were  
wonderful people, and I'm but a demon. One who wasn't able to reach  
his redemption, much like Angel. I didn't even try, I only helped  
for money and Buffy. The future doesn't look so bright, but neither  
does eternity on this Earth.

Soon, I'll see Angel. Along with him, we'll both watch the sunrise,  
and soon all will go to darkness.


End file.
